KANSAS CITY, Kan: Life is good for Greg Van Alst at the moment.
Van Alst’s recent performance at Dover (Del.) Motor Speedway was a true testament to his unwavering determination and resilience. Despite a challenging race, he showcased his grit by securing his second top-10 of the 2024 ARCA Menards Series season and an impressive eighth-place finish in the General Tire 150.
This achievement, along with his consistent efforts, has allowed the Anderson, Ind. native to maintain a strong position in the ARCA championship point standings as he prepares for the first intermediate track of the season at Kansas Speedway on Saturday, May 4.
Van Alst’s race at the Monster Mile was a true test of his and his Van Alst Motorsports team’s mettle. Led by crew chief Jim Long, they displayed resilience and strategic prowess, not only recovering from being lapped early in the race but also finishing on the lead lap, sitting just one point behind a sophomore ARCA Menards Series driver.
“Dover was a true test of our resilience. Despite the challenges, we managed to finish in the top-10 and keep the car intact,” shared Van Alst. “As a car owner and driver, I couldn’t ask for more. I’m eager to move on from Dover and head to Kansas Speedway, a track that has grown on me in the ARCA schedule.”
The 1.5-mile Kansas Speedway certainly holds a bit of sentiment for the ARCA Menards Series veteran. In the spring of 2021, Van Alst secured his first career top-10 finish in The Sunflower State with a seventh-place effort.
Since his notable seventh-place finish in the Land of Oz in the spring of 2021, Van Alst has been a force to reckon with in the ARCA Menards Series. His impressive track record includes a significant win at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway in February 2023, along with five top-five and 20 more top-10 finishes.
With a firm commitment to competing for the ARCA Menards Series championship this year, Van Alst is returning to Kansas Speedway with a clear goal. He’s not just aiming for another top-10 finish; he’s also eyeing the opportunity that a clean day of competition will allow him to re-secure the ARCA points lead for the second time in 2024.
“We’ve been relentless in our pursuit of perseverance in the past couple of weeks and month,” affirmed Greg Van Alst. “Fortunately, our No. 35 race vehicles have sustained minimal damage, allowing us to gain a slight edge. But we’re not complacent. We’re hungry for improvement, and we’re determined to get better.
“We know that our hands are tied a little bit with the equipment and limited resources we have to work with, but we are trying to keep our heads held high and just focus forward.”
Van Alst admittingly admits that his all-volunteer team has suffered speed on the intermediate tracks throughout his ARCA career. While he certainly has the speed to contend for a top-10 finish, Van Alst and his gang want more.
To help them find more speed, Greg and company will partake in Friday’s ARCA Menards Series open test at Kansas Speedway, where he hopes five hours of on-track time will prove to be extremely beneficial for not only Saturday afternoon’s Tide 150 but the upcoming General Tire 150 at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway on May 24.
“If we are able to find something that allows us to pick up a tenth or more during the open test on Friday, it’s a small victory for us,” explained Van Alst. “For us, this five hours of track time is crucial. We can use the time to try new things or revert back to the old.
“We want to survive Kansas Speedway this weekend and look ahead to Charlotte with a positive finish, where I hope we can capitalize on points and then reset and prepare for the short tracks, which is where I think our team excels most.”
This weekend, the family-owned team welcomes CB Fabricating as the primary partner of the team’s No. 35 Ford Fusion for 100 laps of action.
Headquartered in Anderson, Ind., CB Fabricating offers a complete list of fabricating from design, laser cutting, CNC punching, forming, welding, powder coating, and assembly.
In addition to CB Fabricating, Zaki Ali (Injury & Criminal Trial Attorney; 1-888-649-1-ALI), Norton Transport and Top Choice Fence will serve as associate partners for Van Alst’s 43rd career ARCA start.
“The ARCA season is a continued grind and I’m super blessed to have CB Fabricating back on board as the primary partner this weekend at Kansas,” sounded Van Alst. Chris Barkdull and CB Fabricating have been our primary partners for every ARCA race I’ve run at Kansas, so it’s great to have them back in that role, as well as our other partners.
“We just need to do what we did last year and that was to have a drama-free race and bring home a top-10 finish. If we can do that, we should be in a good spot to either take back the ARCA points lead or keep it still within arm’s reach.”
Since 2002, Van Alst has 42 ARCA Menards Series starts to his credit, one win, five top-five and 21 top-10 finishes.
For more on Greg Van Alst and Greg Van Alst Motorsports, please visit GregVanAlst.com, like them on Facebook (Van Alst Motorsports) and follow him on X | Twitter (@GregVanAlst35).
The Tide 150 (100 laps | 150 miles) is the fifth of 20 races on the 2024 ARCA Menards Series schedule. Practice is set for Saturday, May 4, from 9:25 – 9:55 a.m. Group qualifying will begin at 10:10 a.m. The race is set for later in the day, scheduled to take the green flag shortly after 1:00 p.m. The event will be televised live on FOX Sports 1 (FS1) with the Motor Racing Network (MRN) and SiriusXM Satellite Radio (XM channel 391 | online channel 981) handling the radio waves. ARCARacing.com will also stream live timing and scoring throughout the entire weekend festivities.
Author
Discover more from The Racing Times
Subscribe to get the latest posts to your email.
